Paper No.

02243
CORROSION 2002
F L O W R E G I M E T R A N S I T I O N S IN L A R G E D I A M E T E R I N C L I N E D
MULTIPHASE PIPELINES

C. Kang and W. P. Jepson

Center for Multiphase Innovations, Control Center, L.L.C
4301 Metric Drive
Winter Park, FL 32792

H. Wang
Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology, Ohio University
340 ~AW. State Street
Athens, OH 45701

ABSTRACT

Experimental studies have been performed in a 10.16 cm diameter, 36 m long, multiphase flow
loop to examine the flow regime maps in _+2°, _+15° and _+30° inclinations. Superficial oil velocities
between 0.2 and 2.0 m/s and superficial gas velocities between 1 and 14 m/s were investigated. Oil
with a viscosity of 2.5 cP was used for the study. Carbon dioxide was used for the gas phase.
Temperature and pressure were maintained at 25 °C and 0.13 MPa.

It was observed that the dominant regime for upward inclinations was slug flow. No stratified
flow was observed for these conditions. As the angle of upward inclination increases from 2 ° to 15 ° ,
the transition from plug to slug flow occurs at higher superficial gas velocities. However, the transition
from slug to annular flow occurred at lower superficial gas velocities.

As the angle of downward inclination increases, the transition from stratified to slug flow occurs at
higher liquid and gas flow rates. A considerable area of the flow regime map was found to be occupied
by stratified flow with increasing downward inclination.

The transition from slug to annular flow occurred at slightly higher gas flow rates when
inclination was changed f r o m - 2 ° to -15 ° . However, little difference was found during the transition
from slug to annular flow when the inclination was changed f r o m - 1 5 ° to - 3 0 °.

Copyright
2002 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole must be in writing to NACE International,
Publications Division, 1440 South Creek Drive, Houston, Texas 77084-4906. The material presented and the views expressed in this paper are solely those of the
author(s) and not necessarily endorsed by the Association. Printed in U.S.A.

1
 INTRODUCTION

The flow of oil-gas mixtures in pipelines is a common occurrence in the petroleum industry.
The multiphase mixture is transported through a single pipeline to a central gathering station since it is
not practical and very expensive to separate the produced mixture of oil. During this transport, several
flow regimes occur depending on the gas and liquid flow rates. The distances the multiphase mixture
must be transported are often long and the deviations from horizontal flow are always present. These
changes in inclination cause changes in the flow regime transitions and flow characteristics, which
have a definite effect on the corrosion rate experienced by these pipelines.

The multiphase flow in horizontal multiphase pipelines results in several flow patterns such as
stratified flow (smooth, wavy and rolling wave), intermittent flow (plug flow, slug flow and pseudo-
slug flow) and annular flow. Here, the slug flow and annular flow are a common occurrence in the
petroleum industry when multiphase mixture is transported through a single pipeline to a central
gathering station.

Stratified flow exists at low gas and liquid velocities. A smooth interface exists between the
liquid film flowing at the bottom of the pipe and gas above it.

An increase in the liquid velocity causes the waves to grow and fill the pipe cross section
resulting in plugs of liquid with intermittent gas pockets.

At a higher gas velocity, the typical flow pattern observed in the flow lines is slug flow. This is
similar to stratified flow except that there is an intermittent flow of the liquid slugs, which propagate
between the stratified flow. Here, slug flow is a major concern since the front of the slug creates a
highly turbulent mixing zone with a high void fraction, which leads to high corrosion rates. Also, there
is a big pressure drop in this flow condition due to the deceleration. Here, accelerational pressure drop
dominates rather than frictional pressure drop.

At higher gas velocities, pseudo-slug flow occurs. Pseudo-slugs have a similar structure to
slugs. Pseudo-slugs are shorter and the frothiness is greater than in a slug flow.

Annular flow occurs at very high gas velocities. In annular flow, there is a liquid film flowing
along the pipe wall with the gas in the central core.

The flow regime map depends on a lot of parameters such as pipe diameter, pipeline pressure,
liquid velocity, gas velocity, oil viscosity, water cut, and pipeline inclination.

Many researchers have studied multiphase flow regime maps for the creation of a successful
flow regime transition models.

Baker (1954) was one of the first, presenting flow regime maps in multiphase flow. Knowing
the mass velocities of the liquid and gas phases, along with the fluid properties, the flow patterns
would be predicted from the flow regime plot. This was two phase flow in small diameter pipes and
did not include the effects of pressure, diameter or inclination.

2
 Mandhane, et. al. (1974) created a two phase, air-water flow map for horizontal, small
diameter, low pressure using superficial liquid and gas velocities as the axes. This procedure has since
become a standard in the oil and gas industry.

Taitel and Dukler (1976) proposed a mechanistic model for predicting the flow regime
transitions in horizontal two phase flow. Their model is based on a mechanistic approach and includes
five dimensionless groups to account for fluid properties, pipe diameter, pipe inclination, and fluid
velocities. This model is currently the most widely used. Their model has been verified (Barnea, et. al.,
1980) for small diameter, low pressure, and two phase systems at horizontal to near horizontal pipe
flow.

Limited flow regime data exists for inclined pipes. Gould, et. al. (1974) introduced +45 ° and
+90 ° flow regime maps. Govier, et. al. (1972) presented a commonly used method of establishing flow
regimes for inclined pipes. Barnea, et. al. (1982) presented flow regime maps for two phase flow in
downward (0 -90 °) small diameter pipes. He also proposed a model for predicting transitions in
downward pipes. Stanislav, et. al. (1986) reported inclined flow pattern as compared with a modified
Taitel and Dukler model in small diameter pipes. Kokal and Stanislav (1986) have characterized
extensively the upward and downward flow patterns. However, all of these studies have been carried
out in small diameter pipes

However, it has been demonstrated by Jepson and Taylor (1993) that the transitions did not
hold for large diameter pipes.

EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

The experimental layout of the flow loop is shown in Figure 1. The specified amount of oil is
placed in a 1.2 m 3 stainless steel storage tank (A). The tank is equipped with a 3.8-kW heater and 6-m
long (2.5 cm ID) stainless steel cooling coils to maintain a constant temperature. The oil from the
storage tank is then pumped into a 10-cm ID PVC pipeline by means of a 76 HP low shear progressing
cavity pump (B). The liquid flow rate is controlled by varying the speed of the pump using a variable-
speed controller.

Carbon dioxide gas from a 20,000-kg receiver (D) is introduced into the system. The gas flow
rate is metered with a variable area flow meter. The gas is then mixed with the liquid at a tee junction
(C). The multiphase mixture then flows through 3.1-m long flexible hose (10 cm ID), allowing the
inclination to be set at any angle. The oil-gas mixture then flows into an 18-m long Plexiglas pipeline
(10 cm ID) where the flow pattern is determined.

Table 1 shows the test matrix for the study.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Experiments have been carried out to determine the flow regime maps in +2 °, _+15° and _+30°
pipelines.

3
Flow Regime Maps in Upward Inclinations

Figure 2 shows the flow regime map for 100% 2.5 cP oil/CO2 for 2 ° upward inclination. It was
observed that the dominant regime was slug flow. No stratified flow was observed for these conditions.
This has been found by many other researchers (Kokal and Stanislav, 1989; Kang et. al., 1996, etc.).

For superficial liquid and gas velocities of 0.8 and 1 m/s, transition from plug to slug flow
occurred. As the liquid velocity was increased, the gas velocity required for the transition from plug to
slug flow also increased. At a liquid velocity of 2.0 m/s, slug flow was obtained when the gas velocity
reached 2.5 m/s.

The transition from slug to annular flow occurred at lower gas velocities with low liquid
velocities and at higher gas velocities for the higher liquid velocities. It can be seen from Figure 1 that
slug flow occurred at a superficial liquid velocity of 1.0 m/s and a superficial gas velocity of less than
10 m/s, while at a superficial liquid velocity of around 0.2 m/s, annular flow was observed to occur at a
superficial gas velocity as low as 9 m/s. This phenomenon was also observed by Kokal and Stanislav
(1989).

It was noticed that inclinations from 2 ° to 15 ° were found to have an effect on the transition.
Figure 3 presents the flow regime map for 15° upward inclination. It can be seen from Figures 2 and 3
that the transition from plug to slug flow occurred at higher superficial gas velocities. At a superficial
liquid velocity of 1.2 m/s, the transition from plug to slug flow occurred at 1.5 m/s of gas velocity in 2 °
upward flow and the same transition occurred at 2 m/s of gas velocity in 15° upward flow. However,
the transition from slug to annular flow moved to the left of the flow regime map with increase in
upward inclination from 2 to 15 degrees. For example, at a superficial liquid velocity of 0.5 m/s, the
transition from slug flow to annular flow occurred at 9.5 rrds of gas velocity in 2 ° upward flow, while
8.5 rrds of gas velocity in 15° upward flow. This is due to the fact that at 15 ° upward flow, the height of
the liquid film is higher, thus providing the gas to spread it around the pipe at higher gas velocities.

The transition from slug to annular flow did not change significantly when the pipeline was
inclined from 15 ° to 30 ° as shown in Figures 3 and 4. However, the transition from plug flow to slug
flow occurred at slightly higher superficial gas velocities.

The differences of the transitions can be clearly noticed from the comparison of flow regime
plot as shown in Figure 5.

Flow Regime maps in Downward Inclinations

A flow regime map a t - 2 ° downward inclination is shown in Figure 6. Here, the transition from
stratified to slug flow becomes much more dependent upon the superficial gas velocity. At a superficial
gas velocity of 1.0 m/s, only stratified flow was observed at all superficial liquid velocities studied. At
a superficial gas velocity of 2 m/s, slug flow occurred at superficial liquid velocities of greater than 0.4
m/s, while stratified flow occurred at superficial liquid velocities of lower than 0.4 m/s. In 2 °
downward flow, the height of the liquid film is thinned and faster. At lower velocities, more liquid is
required to bridge across the pipe. At higher velocities, the height of the liquid film is not significantly
different from that in horizontal flow, and the transition occurs near where it is expected to occur in
horizontal pipes.

4
 It was noticed from Figures 2 and 6 that the transition from slug to annular flow occurred at
higher superficial gas velocities i n - 2 ° inclination than in +2 ° inclination. For example, at superficial
liquid velocity of 0.5 m/s, the transition annular flow in - 2 ° inclination occurred at a superficial gas
velocity of 10.5 m/s, while 9.5 m/s in +2 ° inclination. Similar trends have been observed in _+15° and
+_30° .

Further downward inclination caused the transition from stratified to slug flow to occur at
higher liquid and gas flow rates. Figure 7 shows the flow regime map i n - 1 5 ° downward flow. A
considerable area of the flow regime map was found to be occupied by slug flow i n - 2 ° inclination, but
only a small region at high gas and liquid velocities i n - 1 5 ° inclinations was occupied by slug flow.
For example, at superficial liquid and gas velocities of 0.5 and 2 m/s f o r - 2 ° inclination, slug flow was
noticed. However, at the same liquid flow rate and gas velocities of less than 4 m/s, stratified flow i n -
15 ° inclination was found.

The transition from slug to annular flow occurs at slightly higher gas flow rates when
inclination is changed f r o m - 2 ° to - 1 5 °. For example, at a superficial liquid velocity of 0.5 m/s f o r - 2 °
inclination, the transition from slug to annular flow occurred at a superficial gas velocity of 10.5 m/s,
while 11.5 rrds f o r - 1 5 ° inclination at the same liquid flow rate. A similar trend has been noticed in
small diameter pipes by Barnea et. al. (1982). They found that the transition from slug to annular flow
up to about 70 ° downward inclination occurs at high gas flow rates.

In -30 ° inclination, the transition from stratified to slug flow shifted to the right with increasing
downward inclination as shown in Figure 8. However, not much difference was found during the
transition from slug to annular flow when inclination was changed f r o m - 1 5 ° to - 3 0 ° .

The differences of the transitions can be clearly noticed from the comparison of flow regime
plot as shown in Figure 9.

CONCLUSIONS

Flow regime maps have been determined in _+2°, +_15° and _+30° inclinations in large diameter
pipes.

Flow Regime Maps in Upward Inclinations

• For upward inclinations, it was observed that the dominant regime was slug flow. No stratified
flow was observed for these conditions.
• As the liquid velocity was increased, the gas velocity required for the transition from plug to slug
flow also increased.
• The transition from slug to annular flow occurred at lower gas velocities with low liquid velocities
and at higher gas velocities for the higher liquid velocities.
• The transition from plug to slug flow occurred at higher superficial gas velocities with increase in
upward inclination. However, the transition from slug to annular flow occurred at lower superficial
gas velocities. This is due to the fact that more liquid is stored at the bottom of the pipe, thus
providing the gas to spread it around the pipe at higher gas velocities.
• The transition from slug to annular flow did not change significantly when the pipeline was
inclined from 15 ° to 30 °. However, the transition from plug to slug flow occurred at slightly higher
superficial gas velocities.

5
Flow Regime maps in Downward Inclinations

• The transition from stratified to slug flow becomes much more dependent upon the superficial gas
velocity.
• As the angle of downward inclination increased, the transition from stratified to slug flow occurred
at higher liquid and gas flow rates.
• The transition from slug to annular flow occurred at slightly higher gas flow rates when inclination
was changed f r o m - 2 ° t o - 1 5 °. However, not much difference was found during the transition from
slug to annular flow when inclination was changed from-15 ° to -30 °.
• A considerable area of the flow regime map was found to be occupied by stratified flow with
increasing downward inclination.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the corrosion center at Ohio University and the companies
involved with it for giving permission to present this work. The author would also like to thank Dr.
Alexander.

REFERENCES

1. Baker, O., "Simultaneous Flow in Oil and Gas," Oil and Gas J., 53, 185- 195, 1954.
2. Mandhane, J. M., Gregory, G. A. and Aziz, K., "A Flow Pattern Map for Gas-Liquid Flow in
Horizontal Pipes: Predictive Models," Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 1, 537-553, 1974.
3. Taitel, Y. and Dukler, A. E., "A Model for Slug Frequency During Gas-Liquid Flow in Horizontal
and Near Horizontal Pipes," Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 3, 585-596, 1977.
4. Barnea, D., Shoham, O., Taitel, Y., and Dukler, A. E., "Flow Pattern Transitions for Gas-Liquid
Flow in Horizontal and Inclined Pipes" Comparison of Experimental Data with Theory," Int. J.
Multiphase Flow, 6, 217-225, 1980.
5. Jepson, W. P. and Taylor, R. E., "Slug Flow and Its Transitions in Large-Diameter Horizontal
Pipes," Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 19, 411-420, 1993.
6. Gould, T. L., Tek, M. and Katz, D. L., "Two Phase Flow Through Vertical, Inclined, or Curved
Pipes," J. Petrol. Tech., 26, 915-926, 1974.
7. Govier, G. W. and Aziz, K., The Flow of Complex Mixtures in Pipes, Van Norstrand Reinhold,
New York, 1972.
8. Barnea, D., Shoham, O. and Taitel, Y., "Flow Pattern Transition for Downward Inclined Two
Phase Flow; Horizontal to Vertical," Chemical Engineering Science, 37, 735-740, 1982.
9. Kokal, S. L. and Stanislav, J. F., "An Experimental Study of Two Phase Flow in Slightly Inclined
Pipes-I. Flow Patterns," Chemical Engineering Science, 44, 665-679, 1989.
10. Kang, C., Wilkens, R. and Jepson, W. P., "The Effect of Slug Frequency on Corrosion in High
Pressure, Inclined Pipelines," NACE 96, Paper No. 20, Denver, CO., 1996.

6
 TABLE 1
TEST M A T R I X F O R T H E STUDY

Property Range
Water cut (%) 0
Pressure (MPa) 0.13
Inclination (degrees) _+2, _+15, _+30
Temperature (°C) 25
Superficial gas velocity 1 - 14 ngs
Superficial liquid velocity 0.2 - 2.0 m/s
Gas Carbon dioxide
Oil Light oil, 2.5 cP

A. Storage Tank
B. Pum p
C. Mixing Tee
D. Gas Tank "1
E
E. Pressure Tappings 18 m Inclined Section
F. Flexible Hose

() DO
E

F F
Flow meter ..Outlet Gas

I I

1 A

Figure 1. E x p e r i m e n t a l Layout of the Flow Loop

7
Su
per
fici
al
Liq
0.;
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I . . . . . . . . . I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I . . . . . . . . . I) . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l i ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

uid
Vel 0.8
oci
ty, 0.7
m/ 0.6
s Slug Flow
0.5

0.4

0.3 Annular Flow

0.2
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 20
Superficial Gas Velocity, m/s
FIGURE 2. Flow Regime Map in +2 Degrees
100% 2.5 cP Oil/Gas, P = 0.13 MPa

S Plug Flow o..'" ,"

+++~
U
pe 0 0°°° !

rfi 1
ci 0.9 .................................................................. i ..............................
- II
0.8 E
al 0.7 n
u
Li
0.6 II
E
q Slug Flow
ui 0.5 E
II
II
d 0.4 []
II
V II
=
AI
0.3 Annular Flow
II
E
II
II

l n = n n l ~ l I
0.2
3 4 5 6 7 8910 2 20
Superficial Gas Velocity,
FIGURE 3. Flow Regime Map in +15 Degrees
1 0 0 % 2.5 cP Oil/Gas, P - 0.13 MPa

8
 2 i

Su
pe Plug Flow ,,S"S*°'*
rfi
cia
I
Liq 1
uid 0.9 I
Vel 0.8
oci 0.7 I
ty, 0.6 I
m/ m

s 0.5 Slug Flow j

0.4

0.3 Annular Flow

I
0.2 I I I J I I |J I I
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 20
Superficial Gas Velocity, m/s
FIGURE 4. Flow Regime Map in +30 Degrees
100% 2.5 cP Oil/Gas, P = 0.13 MPa

£
S £
Plug FI
U £
P
er
1 ==
0.9 C
fi 0.8
ci 0.7
al 0.6 C
Li Slug Flow C
0.5 ==
q
ui 0.4 .-=
d C
II
0.3 +2 inclination Annular Flow
==
. . . . . . + 15 inclination
I,"
.......... +30 inclination :=
I I I
0.2
2 3 4 5 6 78910 20
Superficial Gas Velocity,
FIGURE 5. Comparison of Flow Regime Map
100% 2.5 cP Oil/Gas, P = 0.13 MPa

9
Su
pe
rfi
ci
al
1
Li 0.9
qu
0.8
id
0.7
Ve
Io 0.6
cit 0.5 Slug Flow
Y,
m/ 0.4
s
0.3 Flow
Stratified Flow

! I ~kl I I I I I I
0.2
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 20
Superficial Gas Velocity, m/s
FIGURE 6. Flow Regime Map in -2 Degrees
100% 2.5 cP Oil/Gas, P = 0.13 MPa

$ I
$ m
Su $ m
pe
rfi
m
ci
am 1 ...................................... ~ ....................................................... m ..................

Li 0.9 ~
$
m
$
qu 0.8 $
m

id 0.7 *. Slug Flow NI

mm
Ve
0.6 % mm
Io m
il
cit 0.5 m
[]
n
Y,
m/ 0.4 Stratified Flow * nm
nl
s II

0.3 An~ular Flow

E
I
II

I I I I n n ,=u =
0.2
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 20
Superficial Gas Velocity, m/s
FIGURE 7. Flow Regime Map in-15 Degrees
100% 2.5 cP Oil/Gas, P = 0.13 MPa

10
 2 m
t m

Su " I
pe t :
- I
rfi
cia l• Slug Flow Ig
.
I m

Liq 1
uid 0.9 - ; |
- ~ :
Vel 0.8
oci 0.7 - \ !
i
_ ~. |
ty, 0.6
m/
s 0.5 - "*'.. i
0.4 _ Stratified Flow %** j

~.o Anl~ular Flow

0.3 - %Oon
'4
m

I I I I n ~ I ~ I i
0.2
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 20
Superficial Gas Velocity, m/s
FIGURE 8. Flow Regime Map in -30 D e g r e e s
100% 2.5 cP Oil/Gas, P = 0.13 MPa

2
Su m

pe t :1
rfi °% ~ Slug Flow ,¢
cia -° %.
I ,.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . % ,*,*,%.................. ~~ ................................ <Z ..................
Liq 1
uid 0.9
Vel 0.8 •% \ ¢
I
oci 0.7
ty, 0.6
\ \ ==

m/ \. \ ¢

s 0.5 <
Stratified
0.4
I
==

* % 1
0.3 -2 n~ular Flow
...... -15
.......... -30
I I ~ I n I ,=u I •
0.2
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 20
Superficial Gas Velocity, m/s
FIGURE 9. Comparison of Flow Regime Map
100% 2.5 cP Oil/Gas, P = 0.13 MPa

11